As part of the London-wide “Walk the Met” initiative, Theresa Villiers MP went out on the beat with officers from the police team for Brunswick Park ward in her Chipping Barnet constituency on Thursday.
The MP walked around Brunswick Park Road, Osidge Lane, North London Business Park and surrounding streets with Police Constable Augustine Anyaegbuna, Police Constable Ian Cotte, and PCSO Justin Burda. They stopped off at Brunswick Park School to meet teachers and children there.
Speaking afterwards, Theresa Villiers said “It was great to hear at first hand about the work of our neighbourhood police teams in Barnet. They are a crucial part of policing in the borough and play a crucial role in responding to the concerns of my constituents and providing a visible police presence.”
“Being a front line police officer or PCSO is a difficult job. I know that our local police teams face some tough situations. We discussed concerns felt locally in the ward about burglary and it was good to hear about the action being taken by the police to try to crack down on this crime which causes real distress to residents who fall victim to it.”
“I am very grateful to PC Anyaegbuna, PC Cotte, and PCSO Burda for taking me out on the beat with them. They are a great team and we owe all our police officers in London a debt of gratitude for their hard work.”
“It was also good to have the opportunity to drop into Brunswick Park Primary School. It is important for the police to have links with local schools and it was clear that the children were excited to see the police turn up for a chat, particularly the ones who got to try on a police cap!”
This is the second time that Theresa Villiers has taken part in “Walk the Met”. Last year she spent time with PC Sarah Wigley in East Barnet ward.